Tape dispenser having cam operated cutter



Oct. 11, 1960 A. P. KRUEGER 2,955,500

TAPE DISPENSER HAVING CAM OPERATED CUTTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. '7, 1955 V INVENTOR ATTORNEYS Oct. 11, 1960 A. P. KRUEGER TAPE DISPENSER HAVING CAM OPERATED CUTTER Filed NOV. 7, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS 2,955,500 V TAPE DISPENSER HAVING CAM OPERATED CUTTER Alfred P. Krueger, Souflibury, Conn., assiguor to Derby Sealers, Incorporated, Ansonia, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed Nov. 7, 1955, Ser. No. 545,367

3 Claims. (Cl. 83-205) This invention relates to a tape-dispensing mechanism, and more particularly to a machine for dispensing gummed tape which, during the dispensing of the tape, is moistened in order to render it adhesive so that it may adhere to a package or parcel to which it is applied.

In the dispensing of gummed tape it is usual to provide hand-operated mechanism for drawing the tape from the roll and propelling it from the machine over a moistening device which will properly moisten the gummed side of the tape. It is also usual to provide means for automatically severing the tape after a proper length has been dispensed, the length being predetermined by the range of motion permitted for the lever which operates the feeding mechanism to draw the tape from the supply roll.

In the present invention a pair of feed rollers are provided by which the tape is gripped and drawn from the supply roll by the rotation of these rollers, and the invention particularly resides in the means for actuating these feed rollers and for actuating a movable severing member or knife to sever the dispensed portion of the tape after the completion of the feeding operation.

As illustrated the severing mechanism comprises a reciprocably mounted blade having an opening therein through which the tape is adapted to be fed, this member being provided with a cutting edge at one side of the opening which engages and severs the tape. This member is positively actuated in its reciprocating movements by the mechanism which actuates the feed rollers. The normal or rest position of the severing member is such that it must first be moved to a position to align the opening with the path of the tape as it is dispensed so that the tape may pass freely through this opening and thereafter it is moved in a reverse direction to sever the tape after the feeding operation has been completed.

One object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved tape-dispensing mechanism particu-,

larly for use with gummed tape.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tapedispensing mechanism having a reciprocable severing member to sever the dispensed tape with means for positively operating the severing member first to a position to permit the dispensing of the tape and then in a reverse direction to sever the tape and return the severing means to its position of rest.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a tape-dispensing mechanism of the character described with improved means for actuating the reciprocable severing member which severs the dispensed portion of the tape.

To these and other ends the invention consists in the novel features and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a tape-dispensing mechanism embodying my invention;

United States Patent 2,955,500 Patented Oct. 11, 1960 Fig. 2 is a front view thereof; g

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a partial sectional view similar to Fig. 3 but somewhat enlarged and showing the parts in a different position;

Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the operating lever for .the severing member;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the severing member alone;

Fig. 8 is a partial sectional view on line 8--8 of Fig. 5, and

Fig. 9 is a sectional view on line 9-9 of Fig. 8.

To illustrate one embodiment of my invention I have shown in the drawings a tape-dispensing mechanism comprising a casing 10 having a cover 11 hinged thereto at 12 so that the cover may be raised in order to place a supply roll of tape 13 within the casing. This roll is adapted to rest upon a support and guide member 14 carried within the frame so that the tape may be led outwardly between a pair of feed rollers comprising an upper roller 15 and a lower roller 16. The upper roller 15 is rotatably mounted upon a shaft 17 supported by the walls of the casing, while the lower roller 16 is secured to a shaft 18 rotatably mounted in the casing. The member 14 extends forwardly to the front end of the casing and is provided with an opening 19 through which the lower feed roll may project to contact the lowersurface of the tape. A presser member 20 may rest loosely upon the surface of the tape adjacent the feed rolls to hold. it upon theguide 14.

At its forward end the casing is provided with an opening 21 through which the tape is propelled so that its lower-surface contacts the upper edge of a moistening brush 22 supported in a tank 23 disposed at the front of the casing in the usual manner. A presser member 24 is secured to the front end of the cover and extends outwardly over the brush to insure contact of the tape with the latter so that it will be properly moistened.

A shaft 25 is rotatably mounted in the side Walls of the casing and projects through the wall at one side. Secured to the extended end of this shaft is the operating lever 26, and upon the casing is mounted a stop 27 to limit movement of the lever in one direction. A stop 28 may be adjustably mounted on the casing to limit movement of the lever in the other direction and by thus determining the stroke of the lever the dispensing of a given length of tape will be determined. The stop 28 is mounted upon a disk 28 rotatably mountedlon the casing and held in adjusted position by a screw 28 which extends through an arcuate slot 28 in the disk.

Fixedly secured to the shaft 25 is a cam member 29, and loosely mounted upon the shaft is a master gear 30. Secured to this gear is a drum 31, the open face of which is opposed to the cam 29, as shown in Fig. 8. Within the drum'31 is a coil spring 32, one end of which is turned radially, as shown at 33 (Fig. 9), and projects between two spaced pins 34 and 35 secured to the cam member 29.

With this arrangement, it will be apparent that when the shaft 25 is rotated by the lever 26, one ofthe pins 34 or 35 will pickup the end 33 of the spring and tend to move it. When the spring is moved-in a direction to expand the coils thereof, the latter will bind frictionally against the inner surface of the drum 31 and rotate the gear 30 which, as stated, is loosely mounted on the shaft 25.; When the shaft 25 is rotated in the other direction, theucoils of the spring will tend to contract and the spring will turn loosely within the drum. The spacing of the pins 34 and 35 on the cam member 29.permits a certain amount of lost motion between the shaft 25 and the movement of the spring at the beginning of the rotation of the shaft. The reason for this will be later explained.

A severing member or knife, shown more particularly at 37 in Fig. 7, is mounted in the case for reciprocating movement in a substantially vertical, plane. This knife is adapted to project upwardly through a slot 38 (Fig. in an extension of the member 14 and is urged rearwardly against the rear edge of this slot by the spring. 39, this spring being secured at one end to the knife and secured at its other end to a lever 40 which is provided with an opening 41 by which it is rockably mounted in the case on the pivot member 42.

The lever 40 is shown more especially in Fig. 6 and is provided adjacent its forward end with a flange 43 in which is provided a lug 44 to which the rear end of the spring 39 is connected. The flange 43 extends forwardly, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5, and has a bent end 45 which projects through an opening 46 in the knife 37 so as to actuate the latter.

The lever 40 is also provided with a laterally projecting flange 47 extending toward the observer, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5, and a flange 48 which extends in the opposite direction, which flanges, as will be explained hereinafter, are engaged and actuated by parts of the cam 29.

As shown more especially in Figs. 3 and 5, the cam 29 is provided with an arcuate or dwell portion 50 substantially concentric with the shaft 25, upon which the cam is mounted, and a straight or cam portion 51. It is also provided with a pin 52 to which is connected one end of a spring 53, the other end of which is secured at 54 to a lug provided on the casing 10. This spring tends to urge the cam in a counterclockwise direction to the position shown in Fig. 3 so as to normally maintain the lever 26 against the stop 27 (Fig. 1).

The gear 30 serves as the driving gear for the feed rolls, it being connected to the lower roll by means of the intermediate gears 55, one of which meshes with a gear 56 secured to the shaft 18 of the lower feed roll 16. It will be understood that the upper feed roll is not positively driven but rotates by its engagement with the tape. The shaft 17 of this roll may be loosely mounted in its bearings and the roll pressed downwardly upon the tape by the spring 57 mounted upon a pin 57 secured to the frame. One end of this spring bears against the shaft 17 and the other against a part of the casing to urge the roll toward its cooperating roll 16.

The knife 37, as shown in Fig. 7, is provided with an opening 58 through which the tape is adapted to be fed when the knife is raised to the feeding position shown in Fig. 5. The upper edge of this opening is V shaped, as shown at 59, so as to provide a cutting edge for severing the tape. When the knife is drawn downwardly, as will be hereinafter explained, this edge contacts the tape first at its outer edges and then toward the center in a progressive manner until the tape is completely severed.

Normally the parts stand in the rest position, shown, in Fig. 3, the spring 53 holding the lever 26 against the stop. 27, and the cam 29 in the position shown. The pin 52 is in engagement with the lug or flange 47 and holds the forward end of the lever 40 downwardly, thus holding the knife downwardly in a position in which the solid portion 60 of the knife stands in the path of the tape issuing from between the feed rolls.

When it is desired to use the machine, the lever 26 is moved in a clockwise direction, shown in Fig. 3.

.The effect of the initial movement of the lever is to cause the cam portion 51 of the cam by engagement with the flange 48 of the lever 40 to move the forward end of the latter upwardly to the position shown in Fig. 5 in which the opening 58 is in a position to allow the tape to be propelled therethrough. During this initial movement of the lever the pin 52 is moved in a direction away from the flange 47 so as, to allow the lever 40 to move. However, the drum 31 and gear-30 attached. thereto (Fig. 8) has not been caused to move due to the lost-motion connection between the radially turned end 33 of the spring and the pins 34 and 35 on the cam 29 so that the knife 37 is permitted to move upwardly to operative position before any feeding of the tape is effected.

Upon continued movement of the lever 26 in a clockwise direction, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5, the pin 35 by engaging the end 33 of the spring causes rotation of the drum '31 and the gear 30 which effects movement of the positively driven roller 16 and, therefore, effects forward feeding of the tape through the opening 58 in the knife. During this movement of the lever the arcuate portion 50 of the cam which, as stated, is concentric with the shaft 25, engages the flange 48 of the lever 40 and holds the knife upwardly in the operative feeding position shown in Fig. 5.

The movement of the lever 26 may be continued to feed the desired length of tape, this usually being determined by contact of the lever with the adjustable stop 28, and the lever is then released. It is returned to its original position by the spring 53. It will be understood, however, that the return of the lever does not effect reverse movement of the gear 30 as the spring 32 tends to contract and turns within the drum 31 with insufficient friction to rotate the feed rolls in a reverse direction but with suflicient friction to prevent the turned end 33 from disengaging the pin 34.

When the parts, during this returnmovement, reach the position shown in Fig. 5, the cam surface 51 of the cam '29 reaches the flange 48 and at the same time the pin 52 engages the lug or flange 47 on the lever 40 so as to positively move the latter in a clockwise direction, thus moving the forward end of this lever downwardly and bringing the knife sharply downwardly from the position shown in Fig. 5 to that shown in Fig. 3 to effect the severing of the tape, the latter being sheared against the forward edge of the support 14. Thus the knife is positively moved downwardly by the pin 52 when the lever 26 and cam 29 have been returned to their rest position. The parts are now again in the rest position ready for a subsequent operation.

While I have shown and described one embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that it is not to be limited to all of the details shown, but is capable of modification and variation within the spirit of the invention and within the scope of the claims.

What I claim is:

l. A tape-dispensing machine comprising a frame having means for holding a supply roll of tape, tape-feeding means on the frame including a shaft oscillatably mounted on the frame, a manually operable lever secured to said shaft to actuate the same in a tape-feeding direction, spring means to return said lever to its initial position, a severing member mounted on the frame for reciprocating movement across the path of the tape for severing the tape, said severing member normally occupying a position of rest and being movable to a feed-permitting position, a cam member on said shaft to be oscillated thereby, a second lever pivoted on the frame and operatively connected to said severing member, said cam member having a cam surface thereon to engage said last-named lever and move the severing member to said feed-permitting position upon initial movement of the shaft in a feeding direction, a second cam surface on said cam member to hold the severing member in this position during the remainder of the feeding movement of the shaft, and said cam member also having means thereon to engage said lever during return movement of the shaft in a nonfeeding direction to return the severing member to its initial position and effect severing of the tape.

2. A tape-dispensing machine comprising a frame having means for holding a supply roll of tape, tape-feeding means on the frame. including a shaft oscillatably mounted on the frame, a manually operable lever secured to a cam member on said shaft to be oscillated thereby, a

second lever pivoted on the frame and operatively connected to said severing member, said cam member having a cam surface thereon to engage said last-named lever and move the severing member to said feed-permitting position upon initial movement of the shaft in a feeding direction, a dwell surface on said cam member to hold the severing member in this position during the remainder of the feeding movement of the shaft, and said cam member also having means thereon to engage said lever during return movement of the shaft in a non-feeding direction to return the severing member to its initial position and effect severing of the tape.

3. A tape-dispensing machine comprising a frame having means thereon for holding a supply roll of tape, tape-feeding means on the frame including a shaft oscillatably mounted on the frame, a manually operated lever secured to said shaft to actuate the same in a tape-feeding direction, means to return said lever to its initial position, a severing member mounted on the frame for reciprocating movement across the tape, said severing member normally occupying a position of rest and being movable to a feed-permitting position, a cam member secured to the shaft to be oscillated thereby, a second lever pivoted to the frame and operatively connected to said severing member, said cam member having a cam surface thereon to engage said last-named lever and move the severing member to said feed-permitting position upon initial movement of the shaft in a feeding direction, said tape-feeding means being operative after such initial movement of the shaft, a second cam surface on said cam member to hold the severing member in said feedpermitting position during the remainder of the feeding movement of the shaft, and said cam member also having means thereon to engage said lever during return movement of the shaft in a non-feeding direction to return the severing member to its initial position and effect severing of the tape.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,192,895 Hills Aug. 1, 1916 1,635,171 Bernstein et al. July 12, 1927 1,652,715 Hanscom Dec. 13, 1927 1,799,533 Remnsnider Apr. 7, 1931 1,860,668 Gillet May 31, 1932 2,175,959 Goldstein Oct. 10, 1939 2,192,132 Gautier Feb. 27, 1940 2,406,418 Walters Aug. 27, 1946 2,506,262 Arvidson et al. May 2, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 701,654 Great Britain Dec. 30, 1953 

